Most recurring meetings don't produce decisions, they produce more meetings. The fix is a single line at the top of the agenda: "Decisions to leave with."
The agenda that works
- Purpose in one sentence.
- Pre-reads attached (yes, even for a 30-minute meeting).
- Time-boxed items with an owner per item.
- Decisions to leave with, explicit list.
The DRI
Every meeting has one Directly Responsible Individual. Not a facilitator, not a chair. The DRI owns the decisions and the follow-ups.
The recap
The meeting is not over until the recap is sent. The recap has three sections and only three sections:
- Decisions made
- Action items, each with an owner and a date
- Open questions and who owns closing them
If the recap can't be written, no decision was made, the meeting failed even if it felt productive.
The recurring-meeting audit
Every quarter, list every recurring meeting on your calendar. For each one, ask: "What decision did we make in this meeting in the last month?" Kill any meeting that can't answer.
Draft your next agenda with the Meeting Agenda tool and the recap with the Meeting Recap tool.